Live Review: Lisa Mitchell, Alpine, Danco

After playing St. Joseph's Church in Subiaco earlier this year, 22-year-old singer-songwriter and former Australian Idol contestant Lisa Mitchell was back in Perth to promote her new release Bless This Mess with a packed-out performance at the Astor Theatre. While seemingly a little nervous in the role of frontman, Evermore drummer Dann Hume AKA Danco performed a great batch of catchy pop-rock songs that got both the all-ages audience downstairs and the over 18s up in the balcony warmed up for a great night of music. Melbourne six-piece Alpine reached the stage shortly after, delivering an electrifying set which included energetic versions of singles Hands and Gasoline. Dual female vocalists Lou James and Phoebe Baker owned the stage, trading vocal licks with amazing intensity and precision.

With the stage lights dimmed and the theatre draped almost completely in darkness, Lisa Mitchell and her four-piece band received a huge welcome. With her soft, joyful vocals in fine form, Mitchell immediately hooked the audience with new track Providence before quickly strapping on an acoustic guitar and powering through foot-stomping versions of Stevie and Spiritus. Despite the new album being only a little over two weeks old, each track was greeted with as much excitement and enthusiasm as the older ones.

Unfortunately, while reciting a tender story behind The Land Beyond The Front Door, Mitchell was interrupted by a heckler and sadly cut the story short. Nonetheless, she delivered a beautiful solo acoustic version of it, her diminutive stature illuminated under the violet-blue stage lights and incandescent light bulbs. Alpine and Danco came onstage to provide Krishna-esque chanting on I Know You're Somewhere before Mitchell and band retreated from the stage. They returned less than a minute later for a final encore of Bless This Mess and Coin Laundry, leaving The Astor rapturous audience more than satisfied. Throughout it all I witnessed the massive leap in confidence Mitchell has gained over the past couple of years as an artist. The night could best be summed up by Mitchell herself with a line from one of her songs; “Oh world, oh world, oh universe! I'm here!”